Can we talk? I’ve got something on my chest.
Count me among Kate’s colleagues who are flummoxed by this report. I think it proves that even scientists can be pinheads. My issue is not with their recommendations on when and how often women should get mammograms. That seems worthy of debate. What I don’t get is their finding that women …
The U.S. Preventive Task Force is under fire this week after it issued new clinical guidelines recommending that women 40-49 forgo annual mammograms unless they have certain risk factors, like genetic mutations that make them more susceptible to breast cancer. The task force also said self-exams are useless and recommended women over 50 …
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said he will include a public option that states can vote to opt out of in his version of the health care reform bill that could be unveiled as early as Wednesday. But that certainly hasn’t ended the debate in the Senate about what kind of public option may finally end up passing the upper chamber …
Senate Democrats have been waiting on tenterhooks for a score from the Congressional Budget Office before they can introduce their health care reform bill and start the debate. Assuming the score comes today, the bill could be introduced as early as tomorrow. But, don’t get your hopes up for a vote any time soon. Senator Blanche …
There must be some Swampland followers in the Senate leadership. And it appears that, at last, they have heard our heartfelt pleas. Roll Call tells us this:
Harkin said Democrats expect Republicans will try to stall the debate by asking for the entire bill to be read on the Senate floor. If that happens, Harkin said, the majority
…
The Chatty Cathy Principle seems like a good name for an idea that has taken root in Washington: If you are willing to spend enough money, you can get pretty much anybody to say pretty much whatever you want them to. Yesterday, we learned how the drug industry, which has been spending $609,000 a day to lobby Congress to get its way on …
Those of us former little girls of a certain age can remember a doll that we all had to have. She was called Chatty Cathy, and if you pulled a string in her neck, she would say things like “Please brush my hair” and “Let’s have a party!”
It turns out that Chatty Cathy and the United States House of Representatives have a lot in …
As long-time readers of Swampland know, I am a big proponent of the filibuster. And I mean the Real Filibuster–not the make-believe ones that the little girls of the United States Senate are constantly waging, and not the occasional exercises where they pull out the fainting couches cots and pretend that they are actually going to sleep …
Or did, until Politico reported it. The Republican National Committee issued this statement late last night:
News reports have revealed that the RNC’s health plan dating back as far as 1991 may have included some coverage for elective abortion. Upon learning of this, Chairman Michael Steele instructed the RNC Director of
…
This recess, a Democratic outside group is spending more than a $1 million on television commercials lambasting GOP lawmakers for voting against health care reform. The Foundation for Patients Rights, which is aligned with the Service Employees International Union, is planning ads in Delaware and Illinois against Reps. Mike Castle and …
In the upcoming issue of dead-tree TIME (just $1.99!), I have this update on what lies ahead for Harry Reid, the public and private battles he is waging, and why the Democrats are feeling an even greater urgency to get the job done on health reform.
It’s something that doesn’t get the attention it deserves in this health care debate, in large part because the true cost of health care is hidden from most people. (Though those of us fortunate enough to have employer-provided health coverage do get an eye-opening, jaw-dropping reminder during our annual open enrollment period, which we …